A World Without Trees...

 So I was driving up 421 the other day, cigarette in hand and music in speakers, trying to think of the perfect illustration for why our world still needed it's books and other such tangible artifacts. Sure, I felt in my heart of hearts that it was a necessity, but how do you convince a generation that is being brought up online that tangible items are still a must for education? I drove past a stand of dead oak trees, and lightning struck. Lightning striking may have also been the issue for the dead oaks, but that's beside the point.

Imagine, if you will, a future generation growing up on an Earth without trees. Sounds like a soil and water conservation ad right? Well, I promise I'm going somewhere with this. In the future smog or some other force has killed every tree on the Earth, all of which have now fallen to the ground and decayed into mere memory for the older generation. Now, the children growing up in this bleak world have all the technology they could ever desire. They have computers-galore, social networking, viral everything, all the knowledge of humankind at a pressing of their finger tips. These children have never known the existence of a tree. Sure they can read all about the extinct life form via their technology. They can see photographs, know the science behind trees, and perhaps even see the products of said trees, but it's all 2D. What they lack is interaction. They can never know the scent of wet leaves, the texture of bark, and the joy of climbing in wind-blown branches. Sure, they've got tree information coming out of their ears, but that doesn't mean these future children truly know the experience of being in the presence of a tree.

Anyway, the silly melodrama of my illustration aside, education isn't just in information alone. There's knowledge in experience and interaction. Merely reading text or observing imagery won't tell you everything there is to know in creation. The tangible artifacts of libraries, museums, zoos etc. are an essential part of truly learning about our world. Technology simply can't replace all there is. Go books.